LGBTQIA+ Fiction

New and recommended fiction by LGBTQIA authors

Updated September 16, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
This is your list in printable form. Simply print this page using your browser's print command.

LGBTQIA+ Fiction

New and recommended fiction by LGBTQIA authors

Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Chain-gang all-stars
Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from...
Dead dead girls
Afia, Nekesa
Paper Book
Louise spends her days working at Maggie's Cafe and her nights at the Zodiac, Manhattan's hottest speakeasy. When a girl turns up dead in front of the cafe, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore - several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks....
Martyr!
Akbar, Kaveh
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR * A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and...
Triple sec : a novel
Alexander, T. J.
Paper Book
A jaded bartender is wooed by a charmingly quirky couple in this fresh and sizzling polyamorous rom-com, set in the glamorous world of high-end cocktail bars--from the acclaimed author of the "tender, decadent, and sparklingly funny" (Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling...
Nicked
Anderson, M. T.
Paper Book
Interesting facts about space
Austin, Emily
Paper Book
A warm, witty and wise novel for anyone who has ever worried that they might be a terrible person, from the author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead.
Big Swiss : a novel
Beagin, Jen
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER AND CULT FAVORITE Named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker, Time, NPR, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post, NBC News, Lit Hub, theSkimm, Condé Nast Traveler, Town & Country, and more!...
Dead in Long Beach, California
Blackburn, Venita
Paper Book
A Finalist for the 2025 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction. Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the 2025 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2024. One of NPR's 2024 Books We Love. Longlisted for the...
Delilah Green doesn't care
Blake, Ashley Herring
Paper Book
A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love - with all its complications. Perfect for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur, Casey McQuiston and Rosie Danan. Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls -...
HENRY HENRY
BRATTON, ALLEN.
Paper Book
*2025 Lammy Award Finalist* 'One of the most exciting new novels' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Very funny... Its deeply felt pages flew by' GUARDIAN 'Sexy, compassionate, uncommonly imaginative- I've never read anything quite like it' Oisin...
Lucky in lace
Brayden, Melissa
Paper Book
Juliette Jennings lives her life like a tightly laced corset--not that she'd ever wear one. As a business owner of a stationery store, structure is her favorite. But when her best friend and her ex fall head over heels for each other, everything unravels and leaves her exposed. Even worse, a...
The scourge between stars
Brown, Ness
Paper Book
Ness Brown's The Scourge Between Stars is a tense, claustrophobic sci-fi/horror blend set aboard a doomed generation ship harboring something terrible within its walls. "A perfect scare to swallow up in one sitting." --Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times...
Fly with me
Burke, Andie
Paper Book
"A modern, tongue-in-cheek view...Fly with Me makes you laugh right before it makes you cry." - The New York Times A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead? Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever...
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Burr, Samuel
Paper Book
The extraordinary, gloriously uplifting and hotly-anticipated debut novel from Samuel Burr - available to pre-order now!'Utterly beautiful. I adored it' JOANNA CANNON'Hugely uplifting and wonderful' AJ PEARCE'A ripping yarn full of warmth and wonder' BETH MORREY...
The ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye
Cameron, Briony
Paper Book
'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea 'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special...
The archive undying
Candon, Emma Mieko
Paper Book
War machines and AI gods run amok in The Archive Undying, national bestseller Emma Mieko Candon's bold entry into the world of mecha fiction. WHEN AN AI DIES, ITS CITY DIES WITH IT WHEN A CITY FALLS, IT LEAVES A CORPSE BEHIND WHEN THAT CORPSE RUNS OFF, ONLY...
Rough trade
Carrasco, Katrina Marie
Paper Book
Named a Best Crime Novel of 2024 by The New York Times Book Review Alma Rosales is back and trouble is hot on her heels in this thrilling, queer historical novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Best Bad Things. Washington Territory...
The saint of bright doors
Chandrasekera, Vajra
Paper Book
Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel! A 2023 New York Times Notable Book "The best book I've read all year. Protean, singular, original." --Amal El-Mohtar for the New York Times The Saint of Bright Doors sets...
The secret lives of country gentlemen
Charles, KJ
Paper Book
Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels-until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London...
The unfortunates : a novel
Chukwu, J. K.
Paper Book
An edgy, bitingly funny debut about a queer, half-Nigerian college sophomore who, enraged and exhausted by the racism at her elite college, is determined to reveal the truth about The Unfortunates--the unlucky subset of Black undergrads who Just. Keep. Disappearing. Sahara is Not Okay....
Here we go again : a novel
Cochrun, Alison
Paper Book
USA TODAY Bestseller Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance Stonewall Book Award Honoree A Publishers Weekly, BookRiot, and Elle Best Romance of the Year The author of the "sexy,...
The savage kind
Copenhaver, John (Novelist)
Paper Book
2022 Lambda Literary Award WINNER in LGBTQ Mystery Two lonely teenage girls in 1940s Washington, DC, discover they have a penchant for solving crimes--and an even greater desire to commit them--in the new mystery novel by Macavity Award-winning novelist John Copenhaver.
I keep my exoskeletons to myself
Crane, Marisa
Paper Book
Dept. of Speculation meets Black Mirror in this lyrical, speculative debut about a queer mother raising her daughter in an unjust surveillance state  In a United States not so unlike our own, the Department of Balance has adopted a radical new form of law...
Lucky Red
Cravens, Claudia
Paper Book
A feminist coming-of-age story from a debut author - playful, feminist historical fiction forreaders of Sarah Waters, Charles Portis and Anna North
The new life : a novel
Crewe, Tom
Paper Book
Winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, the Prix du Premier Roman Étranger, the Sunday Times Young Writer Award, the Betty Trask Prize, and the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Los...
Day : a novel
Cunningham, Michael
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTELLER * An "exquisite" (The Boston Globe) exploration of love and loss, the struggles and limitations of family life--and how we all must learn to live together and apart--from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours "The only problem with...
Learned by heart
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
"A wrenching love story" (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of...
Perfume & pain : a novel
Dorn, Anna
Paper Book
"Perceptive and witty--like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) "It's this author's best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A controversial LA...
The anatomy of desire : a novel
Dorn, L. R.
Paper Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller of 2021 Audie Award finalist for Multi-Voice Performance For fans of riveting true crime docuseries a la Serial and Making a Murderer, The Anatomy of Desire is a modern tale of crime and punishment exploring unbridled ambition, blinding...
They never learn
Fargo, Layne
Paper Book
From the author of the "raw, ingenious, and utterly fearless" (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author) Temper comes a dynamic psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve--perfect for fans of Killing Eve and Chelsea Cain.
Cuckoo
Felker-Martin, Gretchen
Paper Book
Something evil is buried deep in the desert. It wants your body. It wears your skin. In the summer of 1995, seven queer kids abandoned by their parents at a remote conversion camp came face to face with it. They survived--but at Camp Resolution, everybody...
The echo wife
Gailey, Sarah
Paper Book
"A trippy domestic thriller which takes the extramarital affair trope in some intriguingly weird new directions." - Entertainment Weekly I'm embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the open, right there in front of me, but it...
Small rain
Greenwell, Garth
Paper Book
A New Statesman Book of the Year 'My book of the year . . . Rarely has illness made for such a compelling read' - John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 'Marvelous: exceptionally vivid, real, and true' - Colm Tóibín, author of Long Island...
Matrix
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE 2022 JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2021 Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times,...
10 things that never happened
Hall, Alexis J.
Paper Book
"Brilliance on every single page."--CHRISTINA LAUREN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, for Boyfriend Material What if one impulsive lie gave you the second chance you never knew you needed? From USA Today bestseller Alexis...
The sweetness of water
Harris, Nathan
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021  Winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence Winner of the Willie Morris Award for...
Long after we are gone : a novel
Harris, Terah Shelton
Paper Book
"A big, beautiful, devastating, and ultimately hopeful novel." - Erica Bauermeister, New York Times bestselling author of No Two Persons An explosive and emotional story of four siblings-each fighting their own personal battle-who return home in the wake of their father's...
The Paradox Hotel : a novel
Hart, Rob (Fiction writer)
Paper Book
"Time travel, murder, corruption, restless baby dinosaurs, and a snarky robot named Ruby collide in this excellent, noir-inflected, humor-infused, science-fiction thriller."--The Boston Globe   An impossible crime. A detective on the edge of madness. The future of...
Book Club set. The world and all that it holds
Hemon, Aleksandar
Paper Book
As the Archduke Franz Ferdinand arrives in Sarajevo one June day in 1914, Rafael Pinto is busy crushing herbs and grinding tablets behind the counter at the pharmacy he inherited from his father. It's not quite the life he had expected during his poetry-filled student days in libertine Vienna, but...
The prospects : a novel
Hoffman, KT
Paper Book
"A queer sports romance and a triumphant debut . . . a heartstring-pulling tale of two minor-league baseball rivals who realize they play much better together."--Elle, The Best (and Most Anticipated) Romance Books of 2024, So Far "I completely adored it."--Casey...
Our evenings
Hollinghurst, Alan
Paper Book
'The best novel that's been written about contemporary Britain in the past ten years. It's funny but desperately moving too' - The Sunday Times Alan Hollinghurst, the Booker Prize-winning author of The Line of Beauty, brings us a dark, luminous and wickedly...
The emperor and the endless palace
Huang, Justinian
Paper Book
Stonewall Book Award Winner, 2025 "A sweeping triumph in queer romance." -Booklist "What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?"
Natural beauty : a novel
Huang, Ling Ling
Paper Book
Our narrator is the youngest student at the Conservatory. She produces a sound from the piano no one else does, employing a special technique she learned from her parents - also stunningly talented musicians - who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her...
The prophets : a novel
Jones, Robert, Jr.
Paper Book
Best Book of the Year NPR * The Washington Post * Boston Globe * TIME * USA Today * Entertainment Weekly * Real Simple * Parade * Buzzfeed * Electric Literature * LitHub * BookRiot * PopSugar * Goop * Library Journal * BookBub...
All fours
July, Miranda
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The First Bad Man returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious and literary novel about a woman upending her life
How You Get The Girl
Kelly, Anita.
Paper Book
'No one understands the beauty of quiet moments in romance quite like Kelly' ALISON COCHRUN 'Kelly never fails to bring the perfect combination of humor, swoons, and grounded emotion' Timothy Janovsky 'I can't get enough of Anita Kelly's writing' Ava Wilder ...
We used to live here
Kliewer, Marcus
Paper Book
Wolfsong
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
'Like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket' - V. E. Schwab on Under the Whispering DoorOx Matheson was twelve when his father taught him a lesson: Ox wasn't worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.Ox was sixteen when the energetic Bennett family moved in next door,...
Exhibit
Kwon, R. O.
Paper Book
From bestselling author R. O. Kwon, a powerful, blazing-hot novel about a woman caught between her desires and her life.'Haunting and powerful' Madeline Miller'Brisk, jolting, brilliant, beautiful, true' Andrew Sean Greer'I tore through this' Raven Leilani, author of Luster<...
The great mistake
Lee, Jonathan
Paper Book
Set at the turn of the 20th century, the story of the father of New York City, his mysterious assassination and his hidden life, for fans of Golden Hill and Kavalier and Clay.
All the right notes
Lim, Dominic
Paper Book
Sparks fly when a piano genius and a Hollywood heartthrob are thrown together for a charity performance in this "swoony, joyful rom-com" (Entertainment Weekly). Quito Cruz is a genius piano player and composer with Broadway dreams, but he's not quite...
Prophet
Macdonald, Helen
Paper Book
YOUR HAPPIEST MEMORY IS THEIR DEADLIEST WEAPON. 'Fabulous... Present-day science fiction that feels like the best sort of spy novel' NEIL GAIMAN, author of Coraline This is Prophet. It knows when you were happiest. It gives life to your fondest...
Up with the sun
Mallon, Thomas
Paper Book
A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * Through the curious life of Dick Kallman--a real-life celebrity striver, poisonously charming actor, and eventual murder victim--the unforgiving worlds of postwar showbiz and down-low gay sexuality are thrown into stark relief in this "page...
The woods all black
Mandelo, Lee
Paper Book
The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock,...
The torqued man : a novel
Mann, Peter
Paper Book
"A damn good read."--Alan Furst A brilliant debut novel, at once teasing literary thriller and a darkly comic blend of history and invention, The Torqued Man is set in wartime Berlin and propelled by two very different but equally mesmerizing voices: a German spy handler and his Irish...
Our hideous progeny
McGill, C. E.
Paper Book
'Compelling and utterly absorbing... an artfully crafted debut' SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, author of PANDORA 'A gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue' JESS KIDD, author of THE NIGHT SHIP 'A wonderful book; dark, passionate, multi-layered' JOANNE...
The Pairing
McQuiston, Casey.
Paper Book
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other--except they're definitely not....
Sammy Espinoza's last review : a novel
Mejia, Tehlor Kay
Paper Book
"A sexy, funny, sweet story about second chances and found family . . . I fell in love with Ridley Falls and everyone in it."-Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers "This immersive tale will have everyone flipping pages."-Good Morning...
And there he kept her
Moehling, Joshua
Paper Book
"A dark and complex mystery that will consume you."--Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong. When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a...
The terraformers
Newitz, Annalee
Paper Book
From science fiction visionary Annalee Newitz comes The Terraformers, a sweeping, uplifting, and illuminating exploration of the future. Destry's life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its...
My government means to kill me
Newson, Rasheed
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER · A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK · A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE · 2023 LAMBDA LITERARY PRIZE FOR GAY FICTION FINALIST The debut novel from television WRITER/PRODUCER OF THE CHI, NARCOS, and...
Outlawed : a novel
North, Anna
Paper Book
Look for Bog Queen, the new novel by Anna North-the story of a monumental discovery that sets off a clash of worlds, past and present, over the fate of the land that holds us. Coming October 2025. A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *...
The verifiers
Pek, Jane
Paper Book
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF THE YEAR * Introducing Claudia Lin: a sharp-witted amateur sleuth for the 21st century. This debut novel follows Claudia as she verifies people's online lives, and lies, for a dating detective agency in New York City. Until...
Come and get it : a novel
Reid, Kiley
Paper Book
From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of Such A Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students. It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins,...
Lavender House
Rosen, Lev AC
Paper Book
A "Best Of" Book From: Amazon * Buzzfeed * Rainbow Reading * Library Journal * CrimeReads * BookPage * Book Riot * Autostraddle A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.<...
The guncle : a novel
Rowley, Steven
Paper Book
Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits. However, tragedy strikes and Patrick suddenly finds himself taking on the role of primary guardian....
After Sappho
Schwartz, Selby Wynn
Paper Book
What did we want? To begin with, we wanted what half the population had got by just being born. It's 1895. Amid laundry and bruises, Rina Pierangeli Faccio gives birth to the child of the man who raped her-the man she has been forced to marry. Unbroken, she determines to change...
Dirt Creek
Scrivenor, Hayley
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER Who's lying about what happened at Dirt Creek? "Blends a taut psychological thriller with a suspenseful police procedural...Fans of Liane Moriarty and Jane Harper won't want to miss this page-turner." --Publishers Weekly, starred...
You should be so lucky : a novel
Sebastian, Cat
Paper Book
An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season--set in the same...
The lost story
Shaffer, Meg
Paper Book
From the author of cult favourite The Wishing Game comes a Narnia-inspired fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobe door . . . you know, just in case.Fifteen years ago, two boys went missing at a state park in West Virginia. Six months later they mysteriously...
A day of fallen night
Shannon, Samantha
Paper Book
**THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER** 'A magnificent, sweeping epic' JENNIFER SAINT, Sunday Times-bestselling author of ARIADNE 'Shannon is simply a master of the genre' C. S. PACAT, New York Times-bestselling author of DARK RISE...
The history of sound : stories
Shattuck, Ben
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING PAUL MESCAL AND JOSH O'CONNOR Winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award * Shortlisted for the 2025 Mark Twain Award * Longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction & the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction An...
Monstrilio: a novel
Sm?ano Cr?dova, Gerardo
Paper Book
"Heartfelt, bizarre, and unexpected. . . . At once a novel about family and love, a creepy tale that questions what it means to be human, and a celebration of queer stories, Monstrilio is as shocking as it is profound, and as humorous as it is thoughtful." ―Gabino Iglesias, The...
The house of doors : a novel
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book
Some desperate glory
Tesh, Emily
Paper Book
'This book is astoundingly good. An explosive and extraordinary story that I couldn't stop reading and will never forget' Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's OrbitAll her life, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the destruction of planet Earth. Raised on Gaea Station alongside...
Bury your gays
Tingle, Chuck
Paper Book
Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell. But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill...
Rejection : fiction
Tulathimutte, Tony
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "A master comedian with a virtuoso prose style has produced an audacious, original and highly disturbing book . . . an incandescent satire." --Giles Harvey, The New York Times Magazine ...
Someone you can build a nest in
Wiswell, John
Paper Book
Nebula and Locus Award Winner! Hugo Award Nominee An NPR, Washington Post, Book Riot, Library Journal and Audible Best Book of 2024! "This novel is monstrously perfect, in every way" --P. Djèlí Clark for The New York Times
Find this list online: https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/359.4407/list/2914

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.